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Friday, July 07, 2006
Dimakiling eyes GM title
By Marianne L. Saberon-Abalayan
OLIVER Dimakiling, the country's newest International Master (IM), may have come home for a much-needed break after his successful stint in the World Chess Olympiad but his mind is intent on becoming a Grand Master (GM).
"I need three GM norms to earn the title. I would have gotten my first norm in Turin, Italy if I drew my last round but I played on and eventually lost the match. I really regretted that (smiles) but I will have to try better next time," Dimakiling said in Thursday's Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at the Tower Inn.
The unassuming player, who clinched back-to-back titles in the just-concluded POC Olympic Festival Chess Tournament and Ozamis National Open, admitted the difficulty of acquiring a GM norm.
He said, "There are different categories to earn a norm. One has to play five GMs from other countries or score at least 6.5 points in a nine-round international tournament. I will start my GM norm hunt in the Malaysian Open on August 18 to 28."
Recalling his Olympiad experience, Dimakiling said he felt a lot of pressure before playing the first round.
"I was so pressured with the fact that it was my first time in Europe and my first time to play in the Olympiad. It seemed the pressure was gone after I won my first match. That's when I thought of what Dwyane Wade once said, `I'm trying to have fun playing the game I love'. So I just enjoyed the rest of my matches," he added.
His father Chito, president of the Metro Davao Chess Association (MDCA), was all smiles when asked to comment about his son's success.
"My joy knows no bounds. I'm very thankful to the Lord for granting him success. I always remind him (Oliver) to keep his feet on the ground," Chito said.
Dimakiling will return to Manila on Monday to play simultaneous chess against some 20 players at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.
He will then see action in the Aurora, Pagadian Open on July 30 and in the 3rd Prospero Pichay Sr. Memorial Open Chess Tournament on August 12 to 14 in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur before leaving the country for the Malaysian event.
While in Davao, he said, "I try to forget about chess and just enjoy the company of my family. I go malling with them, watch movies, play basketball or just talk to catch up on things."
His four other siblings are also chess players but Dimakiling said it would be their choice to pursue a career in the sport like he did.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (July 7, 2006 issue)
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